This is part two of Holly Fann's Chef's Choice profile of Agi and Aaron Groff of 4 Seasons Baked Goods & Catering. Part one is available here. Part three, a recipe, can be found here.
Did your family cook when you were a child? Agi Groff: My granny is Hungarian, so we ate a lot of Hungarian foods. Whenever you would go over to her house, she always had baked a roulade -- something simple, like a sponge cake with jam, or a strudel.
How old were you when you started cooking? Agi: I was fourteen and worked front-of-the-house in a café in Germany.
Aaron Groff: I was a busboy.
What was your first cooking job? Aaron: I was a fruit cutter at the Doubletree Hotel.
Did you attend culinary school or college? Agi: I went to school in Germany and got a master's in teaching with a specialty in languages. I then went to the Culinary Institute of America.
Aaron: We met when we were both enrolled in the associate program at the CIA. Then a few years later, we decided to get our bachelors' from the CIA as well.
What do you eat? Agi: Fresh foods. A lot of items from the local farmers' markets. A lot of stews in the winter.
We'd be most surprised that you eat _______. Aaron: Calf's heart.
Agi: We have one in the freezer right now! You want it?
What do you cook at home? Aaron: Stews, salads, a lot of pasta. And, of course, baked goods.
Three favorite restaurants in St. Louis (besides yours)? Aaron: Stellina Pasta, Local Harvest, Yia Yia's.
Local chef who most impresses you? Aaron: Jamie at Stellina Pasta.
Favorite restaurant elsewhere? Aaron: Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan.
Your favorite food city? Agi: Munich. Or maybe Berlin?
Aaron: Yeah, they have great international food in Berlin.
Favorite recent food find? Aaron: Durum wheat flour. It's used a lot in Indian cuisine, and it's super-tasty in bread.
Most essential ingredient in your kitchen? Aaron: Butter, homie.
